[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world":3,"chapter-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-90":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Cultivation: I Studied Abroad in the Modern World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263816,4418,"Chapter 90: Choosing a Technique","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>Zheng Fa received his identity token and followed Han Qi out of the Administration Hall toward the Scripture Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Han Qi’s still complicated expression, frowning in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since hearing that Zheng Fa received a hundred talisman papers and two blocks of spirit ink each month, this man had been acting strangely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if he thought such an extra reward was too generous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng younger brother, you probably haven’t truly grasped what I meant by saying spirit materials are expensive,” Han Qi explained, as if sensing his unspoken question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In our Jiushan Sect, one block of spirit ink costs at least one spirit stone, and a hundred talisman papers are roughly the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa did the math: his monthly allotment was worth three spirit stones—three times his salary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much gold is one spirit stone worth?” Zheng Fa asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Administration Hall buys spirit stones at two hundred taels of gold per stone…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa quickly calculated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His monthly allotment was worth about four spirit stones—eight hundred taels of gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he really this rich?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Administration Hall is fooling fools! Two hundred taels of gold was the price a thousand years ago—now, on the market, whether you can even get one spirit stone for four hundred taels depends on luck!” Han Qi sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it that expensive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born into poverty, Zheng Fa admitted he was stunned by these prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’ll only get worse! Spirit stones on the market are always in short supply,\" Han Qi explained. \"Almost all high-end spirit materials and magical treasures can only be purchased with spirit stones. Gold is merely the desperate option of low-level cultivators due to the scarcity of spirit stones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa understood—he grasped Han Qi’s meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sect’s pricing system sounded like a dual currency structure—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sect had once used only spirit stones, but due to spiritual energy depletion, they could no longer be produced in large quantities, causing a currency shortage, forcing the use of gold as a supplement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But spirit materials were also scarce—how convenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So spirit stones and spirit materials rose in price together, and whether disciples could afford them was none of their concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, high-end spirit materials in the sect still accepted only spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gold could buy only limited goods, and as spirit stones grew rarer, their exchange rate became increasingly absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scripture Library wasn’t far from the Administration Hall; the two arrived in half an incense stick’s time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place was plainer than Zheng Fa expected—a three-story building, short and unadorned, dull gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the number of people coming and going was considerable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Show your identity token,” Han Qi instructed Zheng Fa. “With your outer disciple token, you can claim one Qi Refining sect technique for free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa perked up and followed Han Qi into the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the entrance to the first floor stood a wooden table, behind which sat a man in his twenties or thirties. Seeing them enter, he greeted them warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“New disciple?” he stepped out from behind the table. “Here to claim a technique?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Zheng Fa replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can tell at a glance—you have exceptional talent and superior bone structure. With the right technique, you’ll surely become a pillar of Jiushan Sect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior looked at Zheng Fa, his eyes filled with admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior brother flatters me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt the man was looking at him like a fat sheep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just…” the senior frowned, as if genuinely worried for Zheng Fa: “Jiushan Sect has countless techniques. If you can’t find a suitable one, it could seriously hinder your Dao path!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what’s your suggestion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve worked here in the Scripture Library for over three years—I know every technique inside out. If you’re willing to befriend me, I’ll find you the perfect one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>… Zheng Fa glanced at Han Qi, who was staring at a white cloud in the sky outside, as if its shape held profound Daoic meaning and had suddenly enlightened him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Got it. Standard practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So how much does this friendship cost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifty taels of gold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pah!” Before Zheng Fa could speak, Han Qi—who had just been in deep contemplation—jumped up: “Do you even have any brotherhood honor? Fifty taels? You dare ask for that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Who is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think I’ve never worked here? It used to be ten taels! Now you want fifty? I thought my old fifteen-tael price was shady, but you’re even worse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa glanced at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Senior Brother!” The Scripture Library senior immediately understood; his smile faded. “Ten taels is ancient history. You know the current prices better than anyone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. We’ll pick our own.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Qi waved his hand and pulled Zheng Fa into the Scripture Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Senior Brother Han.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa had just realized: this man had been unwilling to offend anyone—until the other made an outrageous demand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhang Shijie told me to look after you. Do you think I’d let you get cheated?\" Han Qi snorted. \"These newcomers are too greedy—they’re destroying the rules! The sect’s moral climate is deteriorating day by day!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait… didn’t you contribute to this moral decay?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Zheng Fa’s surprise, the first floor of the Scripture Library held only paper books, not jade cylinders—he quickly understood: jade cylinders were beyond his reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The talisman Foundation Establishment method and the Ling Shan method the Jiushan Ancestor had given him were both recorded on jade cylinders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d tried them—no reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your spiritual affinity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire and wood dual affinity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then come this way,” Han Qi led him to a bookshelf. “Qi Refining techniques, unless for special affinities, usually cultivate one of the Five Elements. With fire and wood dual affinity, wood generates fire—you’re top-tier among dual affinities. Best to choose a fire-element Qi Refining technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any recommendations, Senior Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiushan Sect has many fire techniques—it depends on what you want,” Han Qi spoke as if he knew the library intimately. “For alchemy, the best is the ‘Flame Sun Scripture.’ For artifact forging, the ‘True Fire Refining Classic.’ For combat, the ‘True Fire Magic Refining Art’—it’s the most powerful, and the most popular…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listed five or six, and Zheng Fa grew dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Brother, I don’t care about power—is there one that cultivates quickly and safely?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Qi stared at him in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Your personality is ten thousand miles apart from Zhang Shijie’s,” Han Qi said, puzzled. “How could she possibly like you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa understood—he was being bluntly called a coward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Is there one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘Crimson Sky Scripture!’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then reviewed the books Han Qi had mentioned and realized he’d described them thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each fire technique indeed had its own distinct traits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the ‘Crimson Sky Scripture’ was the most balanced and moderate among fire techniques—no extra bonuses, but notably low risk of qi deviation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its cultivation speed was also above average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take this one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa happily tucked away the ‘Crimson Sky Scripture.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached into his robe and pulled out ten taels of gold, handing them to Han Qi beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Standard practice!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Younger brother, you really are lovable!” Han Qi snatched the ten taels. “Zhang Shijie’s taste—I admit it!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1206,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","44e17a2b87977a696f904d1f1adcbb4de1fe3bd323474bbab92d48eccde89888","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-91","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-89",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]